Claude von Riegan (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
leicesters) wrote2022-12-06 08:26 pm
leicesters) wrote2022-12-06 08:26 pm
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[He's waiting in anticipation for what feels like so long it almost seems voyeuristic -- if not for the fact she had asked him to stay. If it wasn't clear before as to her purpose, it certainly becomes so when she emerges, his eyes drawn to the delicate lace, the way the fit frames her body perfectly, somehow both modest and yet offering a generous glimpse of her shape underneath.
In short, the garment works exactly as intended, and Claude stops drinking her in only long enough to move closer to run his fingers over the sleeve, admiring the material. Admiring her, when his eyes trail back up to meet hers.]
Gorgeous.
In short, the garment works exactly as intended, and Claude stops drinking her in only long enough to move closer to run his fingers over the sleeve, admiring the material. Admiring her, when his eyes trail back up to meet hers.]
Gorgeous.
[She had asked him to stay. And she had chosen there to change. If she truly wished to... she could have gone to a portion of the house that actually hid her from him fully. Or she could have asked him to close his eyes. But she didn't.
Hayame shivers just slightly, when his appraisal of the finely tatted lace makes it shift over her skin. It felt unlike anything she had ever worn. It felt scandalous. It was scandalous. But even though she blushes more noticeably at his simple but very effective phrase, even though she thinks... this is when any other person would kiss him (and she does want to, she starts to lean in)-]
The Tribune called me to an appointment today.
[It seems to come out of nowhere as her other arm moves so that she can fuss slightly with the collar of the gift she had given him more directly, smoothing down the line of the burnished yellow silk. It looked nice on him- that color. How foolish to consider, things like that, especially when she knows she might also be using such thoughts to cover her other ones, the confusion, the mixed feelings about-]
For... My meritorious service in the Oracle trials to be rewarded.
[Her tail flicks, conflicted.]
With a title.
[So he was... He was looking at a noble now, technically? Somehow?
... Did that change anything? It felt like it should, that it could, just... For who?]
Hayame shivers just slightly, when his appraisal of the finely tatted lace makes it shift over her skin. It felt unlike anything she had ever worn. It felt scandalous. It was scandalous. But even though she blushes more noticeably at his simple but very effective phrase, even though she thinks... this is when any other person would kiss him (and she does want to, she starts to lean in)-]
The Tribune called me to an appointment today.
[It seems to come out of nowhere as her other arm moves so that she can fuss slightly with the collar of the gift she had given him more directly, smoothing down the line of the burnished yellow silk. It looked nice on him- that color. How foolish to consider, things like that, especially when she knows she might also be using such thoughts to cover her other ones, the confusion, the mixed feelings about-]
For... My meritorious service in the Oracle trials to be rewarded.
[Her tail flicks, conflicted.]
With a title.
[So he was... He was looking at a noble now, technically? Somehow?
... Did that change anything? It felt like it should, that it could, just... For who?]
[He settled a hand at her waist, his face tilted up with the full anticipation to kiss her, to touch her in the clothes she had so daringly tried on for him. So he's blindsided when she suddenly smacks him over the head with... something about Cyrus? Titles?
He leans back a bit and blinks at her, dumbfounded.]
Oh, that's, uh-- [Really weird timing? He swallows, throat bobbing just above where she fusses at his collar, and there's a stilted effort at feigned enthusiasm when he musters a:] Congrats. What's the title?
[Something he can't quite hide is the disappointment behind his expression. He knows how important the conflict is to her, but to bring it up now is almost a non sequitur. Was gaining the Tribune's approval more important to her than this?]
He leans back a bit and blinks at her, dumbfounded.]
Oh, that's, uh-- [Really weird timing? He swallows, throat bobbing just above where she fusses at his collar, and there's a stilted effort at feigned enthusiasm when he musters a:] Congrats. What's the title?
[Something he can't quite hide is the disappointment behind his expression. He knows how important the conflict is to her, but to bring it up now is almost a non sequitur. Was gaining the Tribune's approval more important to her than this?]
“Decurion”…
[She really wanted him to kiss her. She’s been thinking about kissing him since he turned around and smiled and said “how do I look?”, and she’s been thinking about how that lace might feel if it were trapped between her skin and his ever since she started pulling the garment on, so why-]
It is not… it is only of consequence here, of course… and it is not so high a rank as…
[What are the ones he had mentioned from his world? Her fingers keep smoothing over his clothes, her tail keeps twitching.]
A “duke”… or a “baron”, but…
[Why is she even saying this? She should just kiss him, before he realizes that she’s been thinking about that night his shard had ended up on the floor, and what he’d said-]
It makes things… easier, doesn’t it?
[She doesn’t say “for you”, because… he had never made her feel less than him, despite somehow being a king, a man, a Duke, whichever. But for others, for others whose opinions he surely had to care about… ?
Yes, she was honored to be granted proof of acknowledgement, even in such an unbelievable way, but more than that… Her fingers tighten slightly in the gifted silk.]
[She really wanted him to kiss her. She’s been thinking about kissing him since he turned around and smiled and said “how do I look?”, and she’s been thinking about how that lace might feel if it were trapped between her skin and his ever since she started pulling the garment on, so why-]
It is not… it is only of consequence here, of course… and it is not so high a rank as…
[What are the ones he had mentioned from his world? Her fingers keep smoothing over his clothes, her tail keeps twitching.]
A “duke”… or a “baron”, but…
[Why is she even saying this? She should just kiss him, before he realizes that she’s been thinking about that night his shard had ended up on the floor, and what he’d said-]
It makes things… easier, doesn’t it?
[She doesn’t say “for you”, because… he had never made her feel less than him, despite somehow being a king, a man, a Duke, whichever. But for others, for others whose opinions he surely had to care about… ?
Yes, she was honored to be granted proof of acknowledgement, even in such an unbelievable way, but more than that… Her fingers tighten slightly in the gifted silk.]
[ It's some time after a few conversations Yuri's had over Communion when he reaches out to Claude. The tiniest hint of weariness precedes any words, if only because Yuri isn't quite so used to this much mental discourse, but it's necessary.
They've got so much to concern themselves with. ]
Hey Claude, when you've got a minute, I'd like to bend your metaphorical ear about something.
They've got so much to concern themselves with. ]
Hey Claude, when you've got a minute, I'd like to bend your metaphorical ear about something.
[There's a faint note of surprise -- he wasn't expecting to be contacted out of the blue by Yuri, of all people. That weariness is also a little worrying, so he doesn't delay his response.]
Hey, Yuri. I'm free right now, what's up?
Hey, Yuri. I'm free right now, what's up?
I had myself a little chat with Set earlier. Among other things, he pointed out there's an odd machine below a factory in Springstar we ought to get to before Zenith does. Couldn't say its purpose, but when someone says better beat Zenith to it...
[ Well, it commands attention. ]
[ Well, it commands attention. ]
In a way, I suppose... [He trails off, looking unconvinced. It would certainly open doors for her, make her seem more trusted amongst much of the population and the military. He also wonders how much of it is about her own feelings and not just pragmatism, of needing to match up to him. She always has been proud.
He cracks a wry smile as he looks up at her.]
Still, did you really need to bring it up now? You're no more or less beautiful with a title attached. [Why else would she mention it with such strange timing...?]
He cracks a wry smile as he looks up at her.]
Still, did you really need to bring it up now? You're no more or less beautiful with a title attached. [Why else would she mention it with such strange timing...?]
If you want me to be a-
[She almost just answers, until she realizes what the answer actually is. Until she realizes that if she says it- No, that would be foolish, and it wasn't even possible, anyway, was it, so she didn't know... How could she have even thought for a second that it would be alright to say, to bring up, to even-]
For-
[Except if she backpedals on that, then what can she supply as a reason for why she had brought it up now, of all times, when she really should have simply kissed him and blushed her way through managing some sort of invitation in the way of asking if he needed help figuring out how to fold the clothes she had picked out for him or inquiring if he might like to admire hers more closely. Hayame's mouth opens and closes, her face grows ruddier with embarrassment and frustration until,]
[She almost just answers, until she realizes what the answer actually is. Until she realizes that if she says it- No, that would be foolish, and it wasn't even possible, anyway, was it, so she didn't know... How could she have even thought for a second that it would be alright to say, to bring up, to even-]
For-
[Except if she backpedals on that, then what can she supply as a reason for why she had brought it up now, of all times, when she really should have simply kissed him and blushed her way through managing some sort of invitation in the way of asking if he needed help figuring out how to fold the clothes she had picked out for him or inquiring if he might like to admire hers more closely. Hayame's mouth opens and closes, her face grows ruddier with embarrassment and frustration until,]
... Nevermind. I was just... thinking of inspiring the citizens of Springstar. Like we talked about.
[The half-lie is awkward on her tongue, but if she just covers it... She plucks at his clothes again, fingers dragging down to the sash and tugging to encourage him closer.]
You can forget it and kiss me instead...
[The half-lie is awkward on her tongue, but if she just covers it... She plucks at his clothes again, fingers dragging down to the sash and tugging to encourage him closer.]
You can forget it and kiss me instead...
Edited 2024-01-20 14:40 (UTC)
Oh...? [Did she actually take what he said before seriously, and not just the waffling of someone caught in an awkward situation trying to turn it into a publicity win? He doesn't put too much thought into it, because she's tugging him closer, and he tips his face to hers, his breath against her lips.]
You're an awful liar.
[That's all he says before he kisses her, as if to quieten any protests to the contrary. If he can't get the truth out of her now, he'll figure it out eventually, one way or another.]
You're an awful liar.
[That's all he says before he kisses her, as if to quieten any protests to the contrary. If he can't get the truth out of her now, he'll figure it out eventually, one way or another.]
Come to think of it, he mentioned something about a factory before, and that it burned some kind of fuel for Springstar. Either the two are connected, or this is the same thing...
I'm guessing you want to go check it out?
I'm guessing you want to go check it out?
[She should be glad just to succeed. And she is, she is, because if it's one thing that she has learned, for better or for worse... It's that kissing shuts people up. It buys time. It's distracting. It... feels good, when she splays her forelegs to lessen the difference in their heights and invite him to kiss him, demure and shying at first, but...
Her fingers tighten in the sash she had carefully picked out, lingering for so long at the tailors that the staff reminded her they needed to close eventually. She nips at his lip, buying just enough time to murmur,]
And you... You are a cad...
[The last time she had called him that, he had been comically covering his eyes to bring a sheet in to the castle baths where she'd been trying to wash away proof of her heat before they spent the night together. For safety. Not like they did now. Had that been... nearly a year ago? Then, she had meant it as an insult. This time, though...
She kisses him again- more confident, even as she shivers slightly at the feel of lace shifting over her skin.]
Her fingers tighten in the sash she had carefully picked out, lingering for so long at the tailors that the staff reminded her they needed to close eventually. She nips at his lip, buying just enough time to murmur,]
And you... You are a cad...
[The last time she had called him that, he had been comically covering his eyes to bring a sheet in to the castle baths where she'd been trying to wash away proof of her heat before they spent the night together. For safety. Not like they did now. Had that been... nearly a year ago? Then, she had meant it as an insult. This time, though...
She kisses him again- more confident, even as she shivers slightly at the feel of lace shifting over her skin.]
Actually, I've got a few dates lined up in Kowloon I'd best not stand up. I was hoping to trust the matter to you, Liem, and possibly Ryouma. From past conversations, I gather his expertise has overlap with mine.
[ He has no doubts they can handle it. ]
[ He has no doubts they can handle it. ]
Hey now, no need to get bent out of shape. I'm just playing along with being appropriately shocked and awed.
Far be it for me to ruin your many dalliances. Sure -- I don't know this Ryouma guy in particular, but I'll speak to them both.
I trust you'll get along just fine. Do let me know if you end up needing anything, but I know this is in good hands.
[ He may not have known Claude on any personal level back home, but he knows the man's reputation is earned. Not to mention, Yuri's gotten a closer look in his tenure here. ]
[ He may not have known Claude on any personal level back home, but he knows the man's reputation is earned. Not to mention, Yuri's gotten a closer look in his tenure here. ]
[The moon rises properly in Alenroux, unlike how it cannot defeat the suns that never seem to set in Springstar. It feels more natural here, to have the dark and light come in cycles. That is part of why she had chosen to live there, even with the monsters and the risk of accumulating Discord away from the base of Meridian power. She sleeps easier here despite all of that. But when she sleeps laying on her side on a proper bed, she needs to awkwardly turn over every few hours in order to keep herself comfortable and breathing easily.
Now... it is almost second nature to account for someone else when she does that. Gently untangling limbs, lifting her head from a chest, pulling away from warm arms... Whatever needs doing, she feels softly in the dark for Claude's body to make sure that she did not roll over onto him or disturb him overly when she shifted. These days, she doesn't even worry about waking him too much. He's grown used to it, like she has.
Tonight, though... after she rolls over and returns to his side, laying her head back on the pillow near his shoulder and settling back down with no need to worry about accidentally tugging on a strand of her no-longer long mane... She does not slip easily back into slumber. She watches him through the one natural eye she has left, the one that could see decently well in the dark. She listens to him breathe, until she is sure that he is sleeping deeply, soundly enough that he will not truly hear her when she whispers,]
Khalid... ?
[A test. She is silent after his name, heartbeats too loud in her chests, almost not breathing herself until she is sure it did not wake him. Once she is... Surely, if he is sleeping, she can... She can practice. She can say it.]
Khalid, I...
[She almost manages it. It's just two more words, they're so short, they should be so easy to form with her lips and her tongue, but something... Something holds her back. She doesn't know what it is, that leaves her quiet and embarrassed in the dark. Isn't it... She knows other people probably do not need to. Claude certainly hadn't. But practicing would make it easier to say when it was actually proper to, would it not? If she cannot even get the practice out...
Ruddy-cheeked and frustrated with herself, Hayame eventually gives up for the night, curling in beside her bedmate and letting her eyes fall back closed. Maybe... She will just try again another time. That is all.]
Now... it is almost second nature to account for someone else when she does that. Gently untangling limbs, lifting her head from a chest, pulling away from warm arms... Whatever needs doing, she feels softly in the dark for Claude's body to make sure that she did not roll over onto him or disturb him overly when she shifted. These days, she doesn't even worry about waking him too much. He's grown used to it, like she has.
Tonight, though... after she rolls over and returns to his side, laying her head back on the pillow near his shoulder and settling back down with no need to worry about accidentally tugging on a strand of her no-longer long mane... She does not slip easily back into slumber. She watches him through the one natural eye she has left, the one that could see decently well in the dark. She listens to him breathe, until she is sure that he is sleeping deeply, soundly enough that he will not truly hear her when she whispers,]
Khalid... ?
[A test. She is silent after his name, heartbeats too loud in her chests, almost not breathing herself until she is sure it did not wake him. Once she is... Surely, if he is sleeping, she can... She can practice. She can say it.]
Khalid, I...
[She almost manages it. It's just two more words, they're so short, they should be so easy to form with her lips and her tongue, but something... Something holds her back. She doesn't know what it is, that leaves her quiet and embarrassed in the dark. Isn't it... She knows other people probably do not need to. Claude certainly hadn't. But practicing would make it easier to say when it was actually proper to, would it not? If she cannot even get the practice out...
Ruddy-cheeked and frustrated with herself, Hayame eventually gives up for the night, curling in beside her bedmate and letting her eyes fall back closed. Maybe... She will just try again another time. That is all.]
And since when do mercs dabble in dark magic?
[sounds fake!]
[sounds fake!]
[Claude has to stifle a laugh in time for her to kiss him again, his hand trailing over lace, thumb ghosting over the peak of a breast, covered only by the thinness of the fabric. As often as he liked to tease her, seeing how she would react to it in this daring new garment of hers only made it more irresistable.]
I suppose a scoundrel like me and a liar like you were made for each other, then.
[He smirks against her mouth, voice low, as if they're more co-conspirators than lovers.]
I suppose a scoundrel like me and a liar like you were made for each other, then.
[He smirks against her mouth, voice low, as if they're more co-conspirators than lovers.]
[In that place, a year ago now, she had barked or snapped at each laugh, too, hadn't she? Always ready to take offense or assume it was some slight against her... Now, she... likes it. That low rumble of a laugh in his throat, humming against her lips. That...
Her attempt to answer the accusation that she is a liar is delayed by the little gasping sound that escapes her lips when she can't hide in their kiss, a hint of a whimper wavering at the end when the half-see-through garment shifts beneath his touch and his thumb teases ever so barely over where her nipple begins to tighten in response to the slight friction of lace on skin. It was so... lewd, so of course-]
Only... only a scoundrel would think think to accuse his lover of being a liar...
[Her fingers tangle anxiously in the new outfit's sash, one moment, two... Before she starts looking for the knot.]
Her attempt to answer the accusation that she is a liar is delayed by the little gasping sound that escapes her lips when she can't hide in their kiss, a hint of a whimper wavering at the end when the half-see-through garment shifts beneath his touch and his thumb teases ever so barely over where her nipple begins to tighten in response to the slight friction of lace on skin. It was so... lewd, so of course-]
Only... only a scoundrel would think think to accuse his lover of being a liar...
[Her fingers tangle anxiously in the new outfit's sash, one moment, two... Before she starts looking for the knot.]
[The knot isn't done up particularly tight; he'd just been trying the outfit on with the intention to take it off soon anyway, even if this wasn't quite the way he envisioned removing it. Still, the whimper emboldens him and he cups her breast in his hand, beginning to trace circles around her tightening nipple with the pad of his thumb.]
Despite your complaints, you seem to like it.
[He'd always laughed off her insults, but now any scorn she poured on him sounded like just another form of endearment to be returned. Nor does she seem to mind the blunted effect her once-sharp tongue now has.]
Despite your complaints, you seem to like it.
[He'd always laughed off her insults, but now any scorn she poured on him sounded like just another form of endearment to be returned. Nor does she seem to mind the blunted effect her once-sharp tongue now has.]
[Perhaps another person would be more direct and honest, would say “yes, yes, I do like it”, even if they didn’t really know why they did. But Hayame cannot seem to help herself and the tsundere instinct to deny it at least at first, even as she bites her lip and bungles the sash knot through,]
What is there to… to like?
[Certainly not the fact that after being bound away all day her breasts were usually quite sensitive, and certainly not that the sensation of the finely tatted lace cool and slightly textured being rubbed against her skin felt so intentional and lewd atop all of that, making her subconsciously press into his touch as her nipple grows taut and she manages to undo the sash, tugging it carefully from his waist and dropping it back onto the mattress.
The problem is, no matter what she said… Her tail is hitching higher each moment he does tease her, twitching more noticeably behind her now that the movement was accompanied by a silky gifted ribbon marking the proof of her feelings in this matter.]
What is there to… to like?
[Certainly not the fact that after being bound away all day her breasts were usually quite sensitive, and certainly not that the sensation of the finely tatted lace cool and slightly textured being rubbed against her skin felt so intentional and lewd atop all of that, making her subconsciously press into his touch as her nipple grows taut and she manages to undo the sash, tugging it carefully from his waist and dropping it back onto the mattress.
The problem is, no matter what she said… Her tail is hitching higher each moment he does tease her, twitching more noticeably behind her now that the movement was accompanied by a silky gifted ribbon marking the proof of her feelings in this matter.]
[He's not wearing any layers underneath the haori-like top, which becomes obvious when the sash is unfastened and falls away, exposing a glimpse of muscled chest.]
What, do you need a demonstration?
[She seems to like it well enough already, he thinks, from how taut her nipple peaks against the fabric, or that movement of silk at her tail. Not for the first time he wishes his body was the right size, the right shape, to reach both sides of her at once -- but he's learned to navigate where he can by by learning every little detail of her body to maximise her pleasure, even with his limitations.
He takes both breasts in hand next, giving gentle squeezes, knowing from watching her prior that they must have been bound all day.]
If there's one thing I like, it's you getting bolder.
[She might be blushing furiously, but she's not castigating herself for being shameful and wanton, or whatever colourful words she might have once used.]
What, do you need a demonstration?
[She seems to like it well enough already, he thinks, from how taut her nipple peaks against the fabric, or that movement of silk at her tail. Not for the first time he wishes his body was the right size, the right shape, to reach both sides of her at once -- but he's learned to navigate where he can by by learning every little detail of her body to maximise her pleasure, even with his limitations.
He takes both breasts in hand next, giving gentle squeezes, knowing from watching her prior that they must have been bound all day.]
If there's one thing I like, it's you getting bolder.
[She might be blushing furiously, but she's not castigating herself for being shameful and wanton, or whatever colourful words she might have once used.]
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